The Psychology test library, a collection of tests and assessments for learning
Subject: Psychology and Educational Sciences
The full collection of psychotechnical and psychological, psychoeducational and speech therapy assessment materials available at the UOC as learning resources
"It is not the same to study a technique as to see it and use it, so having access to a good collection of resources helps us promote practical learning,"
Professionals or researchers in the field of psychology, education, speech therapy and health, among others, often use assessment tests in their daily work to guide their decision making. The intelligence tests that measure IQ are a well-known example of this type of tool.
To make it easier for UOC students to consult real tests and assessments and apply theory to practice, the Library is launching a new section, the Psychology test library. This is a showcase where you can consult the full collection of psychotechnical and psychological, psychoeducational and speech therapy assessment materials available at the UOC as learning resources (tests, batteries of tests, questionnaires, specific tests, etc.).
In this catalogue, resources are classified according to the thematic area of the phenomenon to be measured, such as anxiety, stress, depression or dysphagia. Each of them also indicates the age at which they are targeted and the information for accessing them.
The Psychology test library in the UOC's classrooms
Psychology
Among the learning resources for the Psychological Assessment course on the UOC's Bachelor's Degree in Psychology is the PAI personality test (by the publishing house TEA Ediciones). Students must put themselves in the shoes of the person being assessed and fill in the online questionnaire. Then, as the course progresses, they change their role and interpret the score obtained as professionals, proposing decisions accordingly.
These types of tools are also used in other Psychology classrooms in the fields of assessment, diagnosis or intervention. "It is not the same to study a technique as to see it and use it, so having access to a good collection of resources helps us promote practical learning," said Joan Carles Medina, member of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences.
Alba Pérez González, a member of the same Faculty, agreed that working with real tests "allows students to gain greater and better immersion in the professional world" because they can become familiar with them and understand their importance to "justify and give weight to their impressions and arguments about each case".
Speech and Language Therapy
The Psychology test library's resources are also used in subjects related to specific communication, language and speech disorders, as well as dysphagia; and their use, as pointed out by Alfonso Igualada, director of the Joint Bachelor's Degree in Speech and Language Therapy (UOC-UVic/UCC) programme, "it's key to carrying out a good evidence-based speech therapy assessment". Nadia Ahufinger, a member of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences and researcher of Developmental Language Disorders (DLD), pointed out that the tests and assessments supplement the tools with which assessments and diagnoses were previously carried out, such as audiovisual materials and case studies.
These two experts gave as an example the use of the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals - Fifth Edition (CELF-5 UK), one of the leading batteries of tests for the assessment of children with language difficulties. It is used in courses dealing with language development disorders (DLD/SLI). This battery of tests can assess communication and language skills at different levels (expressive and receptive) and different components (morphosyntax, vocabulary and semantics or pragmatics), issue a diagnosis, and design the best possible intervention according to the spheres of language that are affected.
Neuropsychology
Tests like these are used in the majority of courses on the Master's Degree in Neuropsychology programme. As its director, Elena Muñoz, said, when it comes to clinical practice, they help gain "the skills needed to carry out specific and rigorous explorations, and adapt themselves to each individual's needs, pathology and case". Marco Calabria, member of the Faculty of Health Sciences, explained that the tests allow for evaluation of brain damage on cognitive functions such as memory, attention, executive functions or language.
They both shared specific examples of how they are used in the classroom: WAIS-IV (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - Fourth Edition) to assess various areas of both verbal and non-verbal cognition (comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory or processing speed) in adults; MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test) to assess the cognitive impairment, especially in the elderly, and M-WCST (Modified Wisconsin Card Sorting Test) to assess executive functions, such as abstract reasoning.
As with the rest of the learning resources, the tests are selected under the direction of the Faculty's teaching staff, who choose the most appropriate materials to develop the competences in the course.
How to use the Psychology test library
Given the purpose of the Psychology test library as a learning tool, access to some contents is exclusive to specific classrooms of the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences. Nonetheless, open-access resources have been included so that anyone interested in the subject can consult them.
Many of the tests and assessments in this collection are available online, and others are offered for in-person consultation at most of the UOC's centres (at the moment the Barcelona centre does not provide this service).
The Psychology test library will be updated periodically with new content to ensure its quality over time.
Experts
Àgueda Mercadal
Operative subgroup: Librarian for Psychology and Education, vocational training Operative group: Library for Learning
